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Tuesday, 13 March 2018

Little Jem's Kitchen - Energy Balls *REVIEW*

Hey folks! Today I want to introduce you to fabulous Janna, Bedford local and all-round lovely who runs Little Jem's Kitchen: which has been selling an amazing range of free from delicious treats including her famous energy balls as well as classics such as brownies & cheesecakes since 2016.

Janna kindly hand delivered a mixed box of 20 of her energy balls to try - and I couldn't wait to report back to you guys here on the blog with my thoughts. The energy ball/power ball/fat ball/protein ball revolution hit a few years ago, and it isn't going anywhere fast: it seems these little balls of goodness are firmly here to stay and I for one am thrilled. I often opt for one of these as my healthy daytime or evening snack when I'm being particularly nutritionally conscious or before/after a workout. I've made my own may times over the years - and I do enjoy the process and end result - however, I always make a big batch of the same flavour (usually chocolate/almond) and I quickly find I'm bored of that particular one a week or so into eating them. They usually last for a month in the fridge, and I always waste some of the batch, which is a shame as they are not cheap to make (nuts, dates, cacao etc... expensive ingredients!) It is not realistic or The answer to this wasteful dilemma is to order a whole variety of flavours from Little Jem's, and then you'll never get bored! Jan's energy balls are all naturally vegan, vegetarian, refined sugar free, dairy & gluten free.

My top three from this selection (in order) were:1. Pistachio, Strawberry & Cardamom - OH MY GOODNESS, these are truly scrumptious - so fruity, with a gorgeous crunch from freeze dried strawberry, the subtle perfume of cardamom and rich creaminess of pistachio: I could have happily eaten a whole box of just this flavour and never gotten bored!

2. Toffee Apple - comfort food in an energy ball - these taste bad for you, which is turn makes them taste even better. Caramel notes mixed with tangy apple: basically bonfire night in an energy ball. 3. Chocolate Orange dipped in dark chocolate - I never used to like chocolate orange flavoured things, but recently my tastes have begun to change, and this flavour was divine. The orange flavour tasted real - not synthetic and overly sweet as other orange flavoured chocolate products often do. The added luxury of being dipped in dark chocolate was the icing on the cake (energy ball). But they were honestly all delicious - even the flavours I thought I wouldn't be so keen on (Matcha/Green Tea and Chocolate Chilli) were very tasty and had really exciting flavour profiles. I loved the variation in textures between the balls, and that each one really was completely different to the next - it felt like I was choosing from a posh box of chocolates rather than opting an uber-healthy snack! WIN! They were packaged beautifully in a white box with cello window, in colour coded paper cases and were labelled well, so it was clear which flavour each ball was. The label also advised me on how I should store them (a sealed container in the fridge) and how long they would last (up to one month from date made).

PRICES

~ 6 balls for £5 (pick one flavour)

~ 12 balls for £9.50 (pick up to two flavours)

~ 24 balls for £18 (pick up to four flavours)

~ 48 balls for £33 (pick any of the 6 flavours)

Jan also sells her matcha (green tea) and pistachio energy balls with their added antioxidant benefits. These are great for that extra boost and helping aid mental stimulation and concentration.

Matcha Green Tea & Pistachio prices, as follows:

~ 6 balls for £6.00

~ 12 balls for £11.00

~ 24 balls for £21.00

~ 48 balls for £39.00

As well as boxed energy balls Jan has come up with these absolutely adorable energy ball flower stems to give as gifts. You could create a beautiful flower bouquet or add them to your existing flower arrangements as an added edible extra! A perfect alternative to an Easter egg for the health conscious, or for a gift for a birthday, anniversary or even a stocking filler! If you'd like to try some of Janna's energy balls, or her other products including cupcakes, brownies, cheesecakes, relishes and jams then you can contact her below to order, or visit her at local markets/artisan/maker events around Bedfordshire (see her Facebook page for details of her next event). Janna offers local pick up (she's in Bedford), local hand delivery (depending on location) or postage starting from £4.00 (depending on the size and weight of the package). Janna says there is also a website coming soon, so watch out for that! Contact Janna to order: Little Jem's Kitchen on Facebook@littlejemskitchen on Instagram@ljkitchen on Twitterlittlejemskitchen@gmail.com by Email Bye for now lovelies and happy healthy snacking! Mrs Bxxx